fish mooney, bitch.

WHO: Fish Mooney WHAT: The constant tug of war between Jeremiah and Fish come to an end. WHEN: Shortly after texting Jenna about Sofia’s loss of powers WHERE: The living space above Vortex. MENTIONS: Jeremiah Valeska @jeremiahvalska, Jenna Kovach @quietbunjenna, Sofia Strange @sofiastranges, Vincent Vaines @vertigovaines, Jessica Jones @akajustjessicajones TRIGGERS: death mention, violence mention, blood, injury, character death, gun NOTES:

(✉️ ➡️ Mama 🐟)[UNSENT]: i /told/ u so… (✉️ ➡️ Mama 🐟): how is ANYTHING he does possible? grade a creep w creepy capabilities  (✉️ ➡️ Mama 🐟): not great, shockingly.  (✉️ ➡️ Mama 🐟): so what do we do? 

(✉️ ➡️ Mama 🐟): actually yeah, there is (✉️ ➡️ Mama 🐟): but u wont like it (✉️ ➡️ Mama 🐟): we cant trust vaines. he stole sofias powers. hes probably planning something big w them 

Ava’s condition wasn’t one that she took the time to explain to many people. Those who had been with SHIELD knew about it, either through Ava’s own retelling or the files that had leaked, and she’d told Scott and Hope when she’d been scrambling to justify her actions, but other than that? She kept the details to herself. She couldn’t hide the pain, but the other effects? The phasing, the invisibility? She tended to keep that to herself. She didn’t trust easily, had had her ability to keep the faith stolen from her by SHIELD’s lies, but in that moment, with Fish’s hand on her arm drawing the pain from her like a siphon… It was difficult not to trust her, even if only a little. 

She returned Fish’s smile, expression a little worn around the edges as the pain returned. The relief, even as temporary as it had been, had certainly made a difference in her mood. She wasn’t quite as irritable as she’d been before, and she certainly wasn’t annoyed with Fish any longer. “It used to be,” she replied with a small shrug. “I received treatment for it, but I don’t think there’s any getting rid of it entirely. It’s been with me since I was a child, but now, at least… Now it only comes and goes.” The intensity wasn’t nearly as bad as it had once been, either. Back then, she’d been in pain so intense she could hardly think, hardly do anything at all that wasn’t in the interest of relief. Things were different now. No matter how bad she might feel in the moment, things were better. “Do you mind if I ask… How long have you been able to do that?”

Fish had never been in constant pain, not in the way that Ava was in. The only constant thing in her life was annoyance at the men surrounding her -- the fools who were too blinded by their own ego to see the potential in women like Fish... and maybe Ava. Fish wasn’t sure what potential Ava had, the only thing she knew about her now was that she was in constant pain. But no one expected a woman of Fish’s stature to become the woman she was today. ‘A lifetime of pain?” She tried to imagine it, tried to think of that moment when she pulled out her own eye rather than give the Dollmaker the satisfaction of selling her eyes -- but while that pain was substantial -- it was also brief. 

Fish looked at her hands, thinking about the first time she had died and that blinding white pain that followed. And then -- nothing. Nothing until Doctor Hugo Strange’s voice filled her ears and her that she was Andraste. Fish looked at Ava for a long moment, quiet as she considered what to tell her. A simple google search would tell Ava that Fish had died twice, and that resurrection was an upcoming trend in Gotham. “What is the phrase? Time is an illusion?” Fish mused before tipping her head. “I was experimented on. Brought back to life. When I woke,” Fish waved her hand in the air, “I was a new woman.”

♣ for a bitching text || @quietbunjenna

Normally, Ava would have felt uncomfortable with a stranger’s hand on her arm but, in the moment, she was almost too relieved to even notice it. Her pain had lessened significantly since Janet stabilized her condition, but the flare ups were still excruciating. Pain wasn’t something you could ever truly get used to. It always hurt, even when it was constant, even when it was all you knew. Pain free days, even pain free moments were a gift that Ava had only recently experienced, and moments like this where the absence of pain was sudden and unexpected were entirely unheard of. 

A gift. It certainly felt like that in the moment. Ava’s powers had never felt like a gift, but she’d never been able to do anything like this with them. Her abilities had only ever been used to hurt and, truthfully, she couldn’t imagine a use for them that didn’t end with such. “Even for a moment,” Ava  said quietly, “it’s incredible.” It didn’t take long after Fish’s hand was removed for her pain to come back, though it did so slowly rather than all at once. That, too, was a relief. “It did,” she nodded. “It — It’s incredible. I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

Saying it like that -- a gift -- it made it seem like her powers weren’t mind control, it made them sound softer, like she couldn’t inflict pain with them. But Fish was trying to be more careful about who knew the full extent of her powers. Jessica, Dinah, Elektra -- Kilgrave were the only ones that really understood her powers that weren’t completely under her thumb. Dinah might be on a leash right now, and Elektra was in her employ, but Fish wasn’t foolish enough to assume that would last forever. 

This girl, Ava, her voice was so soft and quiet. It was so clear who relieved she had been once the pain was gone, her attitude immediately improving, it was almost like she was an entirely different person. It was amazing what pain could do to a person -- or what relief could do to a person who was intimately familiar with pain. But as Ava realized what had happened, as the pain slowly trickled back into her body, Fish offered a smile. It wasn’t real or honest -- but she doubted that Ava would see that. Fish had just helped her after all. “Is the pain constant?” Fish questioned before bringing her wineglass to her lips. Ava -- she had a roughness to her edges when Fish first approached, but clearly, there was more to her. . . and Fish could always use more. 

“She doesn’t have any powers that I know of” other than the time she had put on the Death Totem and gotten possessed by Malice. “But, as much as I hate to admit it, she’s good and when she finds out what you did to her sister she’ll come for you” Nora said, she’d seen how Sara cared for the people she loved and there was no doubt she would go after the person responsible for doing this to Dinah. 

Fish nodded her head as Nora spoke. Dinah’s sister didn’t have powers, but Fish hadn’t had them either before she was in this business and she had always been deadly. “What does she look like?” Fish asked after a quiet moment, hoping that Nora would have a good enough description for her that she’d recognize Sara the moment she walked in the doors. Fish tapped her fingers on the table and then shrugged, “Well, I welcome her to try. It would be fun to watch Dinah kill her sister.”

(✉️ ➡️ Pricklefish): Hmmm, a dominant woman? Definitely a tally in the pro column. (✉️ ➡️ Pricklefish): Lack of any sense of humor? That’s a 1 in the con column.

“No, see I don’t like being called sweetheart, the only one allowed to call me things like that is Nyssa. You know my name and I’d prefer you use it. I’m not just any member of the League, I’m Ra’s al Ghul’s second in command” Sara replied, trying to hide her annoyance and keep her temperament but this woman was really testing her patience. “You might have influence in New York City but the League has influence all over the world, we don’t need your contract, so either you can talk to me, or I’ll go tell my wife you’re no longer interested in doing business with her.”

“You came in here and introduced yourself as her wife, if perhaps you were more professional in your introduction, I would have taken you seriously,” Fish said as she leaned back in her seat, a hand on her desk as she looked over whoever this was. “So now you’re going to lie to your wife because I’ve upset you, sweetheart?” Fish questioned, tipping her head to the side. “Well, Nyssa’s wife, since that show you introduced yourself, that’s what I’ll call you – if you want to go and lie to her, then be my guest. I don’t need influence around the world, I don’t want it. And I don’t like ultimatums. So, Nyssa’s wife, you can take your people and leave.”

“Spiders like to watch the struggle,” Jess said. “Guess the inclination sticks in the DNA.” Arachne was more than just a catchy name, after all. Jess didn’t just have the prehensile strength of a spider, or the pheromones, or the tendency to play with her prey (and her lovers, on occasion), she had everything else, too. The instincts, the senses, the overwhelming desire to fight back when something frightened her, even more when it pissed her off. It was what made her such a good agent of Hydra – and what made her a proficient agent of SHIELD too, when it came down to it. The agencies had never been much different, even before the reveal.

It was difficult to read any kind of emotion off Mooney’s face. Jess wasn’t sure whether it was because of her eyes, cold yet perceiving, or the cool detachment displayed in the small smirk on her face. Either way, her response appeared to go down well, which was pretty much all she could ask for. Walking along a tightrope meant that every moment not falling was a blessing. “Enough to make me want to know more,” Jess replied. “Appearing from nowhere and becoming what you are now is impressive enough, nevermind the way you’ve helped others do the same.” A large part of Jess wondered whether that help came from a genuine place or, more likely, to ensure more powerful people were in her debt. “From what I heard, Gotham was yours long before you got an …” She paused, a smirk coming onto her face. “Upgrade.”

The specificities of Mooney’s powers were something that Jess could guess at, but filling in the gaps was always a dangerous game to play. People were too afraid to speak openly, which was part of the reason Jess wanted to see it for herself. “I can be persuaded, so long as they’re pretty,” Jess replied. She looked down at her phone for a moment, then took it, inserting her number under Arachne. The name should have felt more uncomfortable than it did. “Teaching?” Jess repeated. That was unexpected. “I’ve dabbled in it before. She was a success story, until she stopped listening to me. I’ve learned from that. I’d be more than happy to prove how much.”

The struggle? Fish couldn’t stop the smirk that had been at the corner of her expression for most of their conversation – and the fact JD had her DNA manipulated with just as Fish had. . . well, she was more inclined to give this woman a chance. It was rare that she met someone who wasn’t from Indian Hill that had a shift in their DNA and came out with abilities the way she had. Or their mind as intact as Fish’s. “Well, don’t give the DNA all the credit,” Fish said.

Her new acquaintance – new employee – potential friend? She was saying all the right things and they didn’t appear to be forced. It was like that first meeting with Elektra when things moved along so easily and smoothly. Agreeing on things without any resistance, finding out they had both felt the embrace of death before. The first people she thought of when JD mentioned that Fish had helped build others up in this business were of course Oswald and Jenna. She would have said Dimitri, but while he was a member of her family, he wasn’t cut out for this particular lifestyle. “Well, don’t tell any of the men you think that way. Not that they’d ever believe you,” Fish said with a tip of her head. She might have had powers to control people now, but she had never needed that before to have control. It was just a nice bonus. “I don’t use it unless I need to – and fortunately, that need doesn’t come up often.” The only two people who she used her powers on consistently was Jessica and Dinah. Otherwise, most people fell in line.

Dinah shrugged. Deception was an art form, and it was something that she’d done as a cop and as a vigilante. Something like this? Walk in the park. “Sometimes, people get so desperate to see a person for something they’re not. They are so set on seeing me as the Dinah that they used to know. All it will take is a few words and a tear or two, and… I’ll be flying free.”

Fish was used to playing the long game. Deceiving Falcone and using his memory of his mother to lure him into a security with a young woman – tricking him into falling in love with someone he wouldn’t have thought twice about. But that had taken months. Training the girl, letting romance sprout between them. If Dinah did end up getting stuck, she could always ask Elektra to help pull her out. . . “Then show me what you can do, Dinah,” Fish said a smirk pulling on her lips. “Getting information on Jeremiah is useful, but I also want to know if that girl he favors really doesn’t have magic anymore. They might all. . . self-destruct without us having to lift a finger.”

“You’ll have to ask her, the next time you two have your little gal pal chat. Probably a much more entertaining conversation than checking off names from your hit list,” he aimed for nonchalant, though the air of indifference was difficult when an involved party was someone you’re so close to. Or, you were so close to. “That depends,” he began, thinking that if Dinah really wasn’t the same person as when he’d left town, then maybe this wasn’t all that personal. Maybe it would just be Green Arrow business as usual. “Was it personal when you kidnapped her? Or was she just a means to an end for you for your little business venture here?” he asked, gesturing to the space around them. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll all find a way to see each other again real soon,” he promised. “I’ll make sure to wear my fancy suit next time,” he winked as he turned to show himself out.

The whole world felt like it had broken into a thousand pieces, but now the last one was finally clicking into place. The world had been breaking around her since she was a child. With her family, in juvi, on the streets. At Dalmachers – and then Fish had put one of those broken pieces back. At Indian Hill, they had ripped another out. But Fish, Fish had done the impossible. She had looked at Jenna, and all her broken pieces, and she had seen something worthwhile. 

She nodded, the moment not lost on her. Fish had given her permission, and more importantly, she was giving Jenna her trust. Trusting her to take care of this, trusting her judgement of how. It was monumental, considering how broken that trust had felt for so long now. ‘ill keep u postd,’ was all she wrote. 

Once Fish started downloading the files, Jenna felt herself let out a sigh of relief. It was over. It was done. She had won. It had cost her, it had been hard, but it was over now. She still had her family, her covenant, the only thing that had ever mattered in her life. Jenna promised herself that she would never put it in jeoprady again. She would be better than ever. The perfect daughter, for the perfect mother. A mother who stayed. 

She nodded again at Fish’s praise, her smile slowly growing larger. She made her way around to the other side of Fish’s desk, slowly, testing the waters, but when she rounded the corner, her fingers trailing along the wood, she closed the distance between them and threw her arms around Fish. Her shoulder burned with the pain, but she didn’t care. Neither of them were usually this openly affectionate, Jenna could count on one hand the amount of hugs she’d given or gotten in her whole life, but right now, she hugged Fish like any child would hug their mom. 

She was laying this at Jenna’s feet -- letting her decide how to handle the agents that had crossed her. Just like how she didn’t allow Vincent to choose the punishment for Jenna, this was up to Jenna. What would she do to them? What did she want to do to them? Would she want to break them down bit by bit or would Jenna go straight for their throats? There was different kinds of power in those actions, different ways for Jenna to decide how her enemies should fear her. Back in Gotham, Fish had always taken the direct approach -- but with her new ties to Fisk. . . there was something exhilarating about destroying them slowly. But there was always a risk, a risk that they’d fight back. 

Removing the drive, Fish set it down on the desk next to her computer and felt relaxed. Things were working out perfectly. Vincent would have some useful data for whatever it was that he was doing, Jenna had proven (once again) what she was willing to do for Fish. They were all walking away with something -- and more importantly, Jenna and Fish were still intact. Things between Vincent and herself might not smooth over perfectly, but she’d make sure that he’d be happy  with what she was giving him.

(✉️ ➡️ Pricklefish): Well isn’t this a surprise. (✉️ ➡️ Pricklefish): I totally took you for a dirty talker, sweetheart.

Sara fought of the urge to smile at the woman’s very friendly tone, this was going to be interesting, she just hoped she’d be able to keep her cool and not do anything rash. “Well, if sweetheart is the other option you can call me Marie” she said, opting to use her middle name as she wasn’t sure if Fish knew about her relation to Dinah and she wasn’t about to reveal it so early. “Yes, but she had urgent matters to attend to and since she wasn’t sure how long that would take she sent me.”

“I think I’ll stick with sweetheart, sweetheart.” Fish said with a shrug. This woman had already given her a random name, why would Fish believe that Marie was her name? This felt like a waste of time -- like this girl was playing a game while parading around as the wife of someone that Fish actually respected. “Well you can go tell your wife that we can set up a meeting that fits her schedule better.”